rodhad
All posts tagged rodhad
Over the last 10 years Token Records has grown steadily, both in size and stylistic breadth. The aptly-titled Momentum comes as a celebration of the close-knit family of artists amassed throughout the label’s running. The record is a fitting collaborative project, with every track on the album produced by two longstanding and well-respected artists from the label’s roster and especially commissioned for the release. This type of collaboration is intended to showcase the specific sound of the label, developed through 10 years of careful curation, as well as bringing out the individual identities of the artists involved.
Culminating the cycle and international success of his debut album, Daniel Avery releases New Energy, a collection of remixes including six new reworks. Rødhåd proves why he’s the most exciting new name in techno by turning Drone Logic into a pulsing, peak-time behemoth whilst Silent Servant shows off his trademark, industrial tinged mastery on the previously ambient Spring 27. To complete this 12”, Volte-Face, owner of London’s vital experimental night BleeD, enters the production world with a beautiful and ecstatic re-imagining of Platform Zero.
Dystopian unveil their most comprehensive release yet, a 2×12″ featuring music from label regulars and newcomers Gotzkowsky, Ron Albrecht and Vril. Recondite opens the compilation with a straight-laced but dirty techno production. Don Williams throws down some pumping four-four beats, while Gotzkowsky and Alex.Do venture down a gurgling bleep hole of techno. Distant Echoes was responsible for the label’s release before this, and here the shady producer delivers more gloomy, industrial deepness. Vril lightens things up with his famous chords, although a little disorientating this time, while man of the moment Rodhad goes big with a synth line you’ll never forget. Ron Albrecht then completes the EP with a slab of Fachwerk-like techno, swapping funk for hard-nosed beats.
If you are looking for a massive slab of techno, you won’t find anything released this week that’s as hefty as Aphelion. A triple vinyl box set from Belgian label Token, Aphelion is essentially a primer for the best in contemporary techno, featuring contributions from Surgeon, Rodhad, James Ruskin, Karenn and Planetary Assault System alongside some label regulars. You will have probably already heard “Fixed Action Pattern” from Surgeon, it’s possibly one of this year’s finest techno 12″s, but it’s got some stiff competition here with Ruskin in particularly funked up form on “No Trace”.
